Virat Kohli scripted history during match No. 23 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 edition between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) as he came out to bat as an Impact Player for the first time in his IPL career. Virat was named among the Impact subs for RCB alongside batting allrounder Venkatesh Iyer, wicketkeeper batter Jordan Cox, spin-bowling allrounder Kanishk Chouhan, and left-arm seamer Mangesh Yadav. He had a meticulous training session in the lead-up to the fixture.
Virat Kohli’s injury scare against Mumbai Indians
For the unversed, the former RCB captain hurt his left ankle during match No. 20 between RCB and Mumbai Indians (MI), which turned out to be a run-fest. Virat was treated on his left ankle by the RCB physio during the 10th over of the RCB innings. He scored a 38-ball half-century with the help of five fours and a six at a strike rate of 131.58.Virat was involved in two crucial partnerships during his stay in the middle, which proved match-defining at the end.
He added 120 runs off 65 balls for the opening wicket alongside RCB’s English recruit, Phil Salt, and then stitched a 65-run stand off 23 balls alongside the RCB captain, Rajat Patidar. Virat got out on the fourth delivery of the 15th over while trying to clear the long-on fence against Hardik Pandya, but the bat turned in his hands at the point of contact, and he couldn’t make the desired contact. RCB posted 240 for the loss of four wickets, and Virat didn’t come out to field in the second innings as a precautionary measure.
RCB didn’t miss Virat much in the field as their bowlers exercised discipline for most of their innings, and Mumbai crumbled under scoreboard pressure.
RCB are defending their IPL title for the first time since the inception of the league in 2008. They beat Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025 final by six runs.
